I am asking this because I am currently a music technology student in training to become a studio engineer and record some metal bands as well as play in some. The purpose of this post is so that I can get an idea of what kinds of ways people prefer their metal and then use the right technology to get the best possible recordings for bands.

As for my answer, it depends on the genre/band. I prefer vinyl for doom, heavy metal, black metal, and some thrash. Cassettes are awesome in my opinion; I really enjoy them for thrash, death, and black metal in particular (also blues). CD's can be good or bad for anything, it all depends on the recording process and not as much the bands.

Well defenetly vinly and CD is the best because its orginal, I like put on CD player , take a bocklet and listen, I dont like cassetes so much, ou can fuck up the tape and then you need use a glue (Maybe Marcel will explain why) .... whatever on PC I dont feel diference, but I prefere good studio mastering no metter what kind of format it is

I honestly couldn't give anymore of a rat's ass which one it comes out on. Just want to listen to it.

I know this is not exactly "metal" but I prefer mp3's because they are extremely easy to carry around and transfer. Like for example if a person asks for my band's music I just send an mp3 with a recording of ours.

I tried to have my dad repair an old record player so I could listen to vinyls, but that didn't work out. I also only ever buy CD's from local struggling bands who mostly self-release and self-finance their work.

Without a doubt cd. Don't like mp3:s.

Written by Valentin B on 04.03.2013 at 18:07

I know this is not exactly "metal" but I prefer mp3's because they are extremely easy to carry around and transfer. Like for example if a person asks for my band's music I just send an mp3 with a recording of ours.

I tried to have my dad repair an old record player so I could listen to vinyls, but that didn't work out. I also only ever buy CD's from local struggling bands who mostly self-release and self-finance their work.

mp3's are great for portability, but from a sound quality standpoint i am not a big fan. The reason I say this is because of the compression used to make mp3's so portable and small; in order to do that you have to sacrifice subtle volume changes, ambient effects, and overall quality. There are better digital alternatives, FLAC in particular; it is not as compressed as an mp3 (bigger file size) but there is no loss of sound quality in conversion as there is with mp3 or wma files. Wav files are another lossless alternative, but FLAC is still the winner due to file size. A wav file may be 45,000 kb for a 4 minute song while a FLAC will be around 10 kb.

Written by squidrick420 on 04.03.2013 at 20:16

Written by Valentin B on 04.03.2013 at 18:07

I know this is not exactly "metal" but I prefer mp3's because they are extremely easy to carry around and transfer. Like for example if a person asks for my band's music I just send an mp3 with a recording of ours.

I tried to have my dad repair an old record player so I could listen to vinyls, but that didn't work out. I also only ever buy CD's from local struggling bands who mostly self-release and self-finance their work.

mp3's are great for portability, but from a sound quality standpoint i am not a big fan. The reason I say this is because of the compression used to make mp3's so portable and small; in order to do that you have to sacrifice subtle volume changes, ambient effects, and overall quality. There are better digital alternatives, FLAC in particular; it is not as compressed as an mp3 (bigger file size) but there is no loss of sound quality in conversion as there is with mp3 or wma files. Wav files are another lossless alternative, but FLAC is still the winner due to file size. A wav file may be 45,000 kb for a 4 minute song while a FLAC will be around 10 kb.

FLAC is around 4-5 times as big as mp3, at the least the ones I got.

Written by Valentin B on 04.03.2013 at 18:07

I know this is not exactly "metal" but I prefer mp3's because they are extremely easy to carry around and transfer. Like for example if a person asks for my band's music I just send an mp3 with a recording of ours.

I tried to have my dad repair an old record player so I could listen to vinyls, but that didn't work out. I also only ever buy CD's from local struggling bands who mostly self-release and self-finance their work.

yes in mp3 player I do it when I go to school buty I hate listeb muisc outside, I listen well if you walk in swe forest you shood listen maybe there is bear ... I have been scared from birds in dark woods , so and I know some ppl has been robed because they didnt herad rober .. some has bene hit whit a car ... so its dangerose

I prefer Cd's and Vinyls at home, and mp3's in the car.

Written by Valentin B on 04.03.2013 at 20:34

Written by squidrick420 on 04.03.2013 at 20:16

Written by Valentin B on 04.03.2013 at 18:07

I know this is not exactly "metal" but I prefer mp3's because they are extremely easy to carry around and transfer. Like for example if a person asks for my band's music I just send an mp3 with a recording of ours.

I tried to have my dad repair an old record player so I could listen to vinyls, but that didn't work out. I also only ever buy CD's from local struggling bands who mostly self-release and self-finance their work.

mp3's are great for portability, but from a sound quality standpoint i am not a big fan. The reason I say this is because of the compression used to make mp3's so portable and small; in order to do that you have to sacrifice subtle volume changes, ambient effects, and overall quality. There are better digital alternatives, FLAC in particular; it is not as compressed as an mp3 (bigger file size) but there is no loss of sound quality in conversion as there is with mp3 or wma files. Wav files are another lossless alternative, but FLAC is still the winner due to file size. A wav file may be 45,000 kb for a 4 minute song while a FLAC will be around 10 kb.

FLAC is around 4-5 times as big as mp3, at the least the ones I got.

Yeah i just noticed i said 10mb, i meant to type 30. I should really start paying more attention lol

I'll say like Lit. I don't really care. I voted CD cuz I collect them... lol I love having Cds. But I can listen to metal on CD, Mp3, Vinyl (...) anything really.

Written by Guib on 05.03.2013 at 03:32

I'll say like Lit. I don't really care. I voted CD cuz I collect them... lol I love having Cds. But I can listen to metal on CD, Mp3, Vinyl (...) anything really.

Yeah I will listen to it on anything, no doubt. But I would be lying if i said that I didn't have preferences either. I really enjoy the collecting aspect as well, but lately i got into collecting cassettes because a) they are cheap as dirt. b) they sound cool on good equipment. c) just being able to say you have some albums on cassette is cool lol (Bathory's Blood fire death, and Root's Hell Symphony). d) Old punk albums sound much better than their cd counterparts (often re-mastered)! I have some Black Flag, Ag Front, Bad Brains, and several local tapes that really add the atmosphere of the 80's simply by being on cassette.

CD is my option because I love the sound of original CDs, it doesn't even compare to MP3 to my ears. I'm not from the era of vinyl or cassettes so I guess that explains it too but some people say it all sounds better in vinyl.

Written by BloodTears on 05.03.2013 at 12:33
CD is my option because I love the sound of original CDs, it doesn't even compare to MP3 to my ears. I'm not from the era of vinyl or cassettes so I guess that explains it too but some people say it all sounds better in vinyl.

Basically the same answer applies to me. Although the only reason I don't buy vinyls is because it's just too much money/space for me and don't feel like buying everything twice. If I had limitless amounts of money that would be a different story but then again, that works for most of us. I'm happy with just getting cds. The few times I bought a vinyl it's because it comes with the cd version.

Written by X-Ray Rod on 05.03.2013 at 17:09

Basically the same answer applies to me. Although the only reason I don't buy vinyls is because it's just too much money/space for me and don't feel like buying everything twice. If I had limitless amounts of money that would be a different story but then again, that works for most of us. I'm happy with just getting cds. The few times I bought a vinyl it's because it comes with the cd version.

Yes, there is always the price but if I had a turntable, maybe I would buy vinyl, but the one my parents had is dead so yeah. It is more of a collectors item now, I feel. What vinyls do you have, out of curiosity?

Written by BloodTears on 05.03.2013 at 18:16
What vinyls do you have, out of curiosity?

Alkerdeel - Morinde
Kent - Röd
Igorrr - Hallelujah
John Haughm (Agalloch) - +46 17' 36​.​30", -124 4' 20​.​13" (this is a single)

The first two are boxes with the CD's and lots of bonus stuff, third one has the cd on a plain envelope and the last one I just bought it because it's hella cute sized, nice artwork and they sent you the digital track after buying it. That's it. XP

I've given up and just use MP3s now.

i buy cd's, rip, read booklets, but play on PC to prevent wear and tear to disks.

It depends. I usually prefer blasting a CD in my stereo, but there's some bands which music just suits better for headphones. Yeah, sure, you can have headphones plugged in to your stereo too. But I'm talking about the mix of music, headphones, your MP3/mobile and sitting in a car or something like that, watching the scenery.

For the Vinyl I got the same problem with the space ... and I don't have equipement for it. Idk

Written by BloodTears on 05.03.2013 at 18:16

Written by X-Ray Rod on 05.03.2013 at 17:09

Basically the same answer applies to me. Although the only reason I don't buy vinyls is because it's just too much money/space for me and don't feel like buying everything twice. If I had limitless amounts of money that would be a different story but then again, that works for most of us. I'm happy with just getting cds. The few times I bought a vinyl it's because it comes with the cd version.

Yes, there is always the price but if I had a turntable, maybe I would buy vinyl, but the one my parents had is dead so yeah. It is more of a collectors item now, I feel. What vinyls do you have, out of curiosity?

I find it interesting that where i live there is a major re-surfacing of vinyl, and buying vinyl records is just as easy as cd's if not easier here; its become much more then a small group of collectors, its the common media once again. A decent turntable is relatively affordable if you know what too look for, you can have a nice setup for under $100 if you search through thrift stores; but then again i have no idea what is going on in the vinyl world in other places so don't take that for granted, things could be totally different where you live.

Written by squidrick420 on 05.03.2013 at 22:26



I find it interesting that where i live there is a major re-surfacing of vinyl, and buying vinyl records is just as easy as cd's if not easier here; its become much more then a small group of collectors, its the common media once again. A decent turntable is relatively affordable if you know what too look for, you can have a nice setup for under $100 if you search through thrift stores; but then again i have no idea what is going on in the vinyl world in other places so don't take that for granted, things could be totally different where you live.

vinyl is resurfacing all over the world and once again last year, for a couple of years running already, sales were up over 20%.
And like you say good record players can be found cheaply at thrift stores and even new at places selling home entertainment stuff.

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 05.03.2013 at 22:42

Written by squidrick420 on 05.03.2013 at 22:26



I find it interesting that where i live there is a major re-surfacing of vinyl, and buying vinyl records is just as easy as cd's if not easier here; its become much more then a small group of collectors, its the common media once again. A decent turntable is relatively affordable if you know what too look for, you can have a nice setup for under $100 if you search through thrift stores; but then again i have no idea what is going on in the vinyl world in other places so don't take that for granted, things could be totally different where you live.

vinyl is resurfacing all over the world and once again last year, for a couple of years running already, sales were up over 20%.
And like you say good record players can be found cheaply at thrift stores and even new at places selling home entertainment stuff.

That is what i was hoping for, i was not sure if it was just a local thing or not because i don't really get the chance to travel around much. Glad to see this is coming back!

Maybe you guys are right and it is true that more people are getting into vinyl, here as well. What I know is that vinyls are usually expensive in Portugal though. But I'm sure some guy will know about an obscure store that sells them cheap.

Vinyls are unusually expensive anywhere. I am not wasting $35 for a piece of cumbersome plastic that I'll rarely be able to play anywhere, or can't even convert to MP3s.

Written by Guest on 06.03.2013 at 20:21

Vinyls are unusually expensive anywhere. I am not wasting $35 for a piece of cumbersome plastic that I'll rarely be able to play anywhere, or can't even convert to MP3s.

I generally find vinyl for around the same price as cd's, sometimes cheaper, and sometimes a little more; but that can be different where you live. As for converting to mp3, it is really easy if you have the right cables and some basic audio editing software to cut tracks and remove needle noise. There are also usb turntables that come with conversion software.

I personally listen to CDs (which i have over 200 of), but I have heard from many people that Vinyl sounds fucking amazing and pure (loudness war not messing with it and all).

I can't believe I have a vinyl of "Bath" by maudlin of the Well, but i can't even play it since I don't have a record player!

Mp3's make bringing music with you easy, so that's why I like mp3s, but the compression of the file results in a quality loss in the sound. CD (or the files of the CD ripped in a lossless format, like WAV) is the best way to listen to something, in my experience. Everything sounds clearer and you can pick out more details in the music.

But really, I'm happy to be able to listen to anything at all. At work I can't bring my computer or my CDs, so I have to use an mp3 player to listen to my music, which is good enough for me.

That means that I usually try to purchase my albums in CD format, though, so I can have the CD quality for home and the mp3 files for work. If I just download the mp3 files, then I don't have the higher-quality files at my disposal, nor will I experience the joy of owning the physical product.

I said CD just because an album isn't complete without the sleeve but it doesn't matter too much, headphones are a must for me.

I prefer CDs, though I have no experience of vinyls and casettes.

I prefer CDs too, good quality, easy to use, and I love the booklets . Most of the time I listen to mp3 though (320) because most of my music is downloaded, (but I try to buy the original CDs when I can).
I don't like casettes and vinys, because they are difficult to fast forward, and they get a little bit more "ruined" by every listen. Although I don't deny that vinys have a more "natural" and better sound than CDs.